Collapsible paperboard package and carrier



April 27, 1954 a p, KL I 2,676,731

COLLAPSIBLE PAPERBOARD PACKAGE AND CARRIER Filed Aug. 13, 1949 Cfczrence 2, 86

Patented Apr. 27, 1954 COLLAPSIBLE PAPERBOARD PACKAGE AND CARRIER Clarence F. Klein, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to Frankenberg Bros., Inc., Columbus, Ohio, a corporationof Ohio Application August 13, 1949, Serial No. 110,173

2 Claims. I

. This invention relates to an improved foldable paperboard package and is concerned, more particularly, with packages employed for shipping, carrying and displaying glassware and other readily breakable articles of merchandise.

While the package forming the present invention is adaptable to receive goods of manykinds, it is particularly useful in receiving for shipment, display, carrying and wrapping purposes a plurality of drinking glasses.

Considerable breakage of drinking glasses takes place-during handling thereof, as for shipping, displaying and packaging purposes, before the glasses reach the hands of the ultimate users. Packing of the glasses into containers is required when the glasses are shipped by manufacturers to warehouses or retail dealers. Thereafter the glasses are unpacked, and in many cases, are arranged on store shelves or counters for display. During these handling operations, it is quite common to grasp the glasses individually, rather than in groups, with the result that the glasses contact each other accidentally or strike other objects, thereby causing breakage. Table glasses for which the greatest commercial demand exists are sold by manufacturers and various dealers at "relatively low cost, with the result that while thorough packaging of such products is highly desirable, the costs of special packages often render the same prohibitive.

With these considerations, among others, in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide a special ackage or container so formed as to be capable of holding a-plurality of drinking glasses or the like, and wherein its construction is such as to permit the glasses to remain in the package when shipped by the manufacturer to dealers, during display of the glasses by dealers and when the glasses are grouped for delivery in small numbers to ultimate purchasers.

It is another object of the invention to provide a simple low-cost multiple purpose package of the character and for the purposes set forth ,which is formed from a single blank'of paperboard capable of being die cut, formed and glued I with the use of conventional box-making machinery, whereby to provide for economy in the manufacture of such packages.

It is another object of the invention to provide a package composed of a single integral blank of paperboard which is bent, folded and glued to produce rows of glass-receiving pockets disposed on opposite sides of divider'panels which function .when joined as a supporting handle, and wherein =the pockets are so formed as to maintain-glassware positioned therein spaced from adjoining articles of glassware, thus protecting the same against the normal shocks and jars incident to the handling of glassware before the same is placed into use by final purchasers thereof.

For a further understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a. plan view of the carton board blank, disclosing the same in a fiat position after being die cut and prior to subsequently performed folding and gluing operations;

Fig. 2 illustrates a bottom plan view of the blank as it appears after the first gluing operation, in

which the pocket-forming panels are folded upon operation has been performed thereon, and in which the two layers of material constituting the divider portions of the carton or package are ad hesively joined, the carton being shown in a fiat state suitable for compact packaging and shipment by the manufacturer;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through the finally glued and folded carton on the line 44 of Fig. 3;

- Fig. 5 is a perspective View showing the carton or package in position for the carrying of drinking glasses and also the display of glasses;

Fig. 6 is a similar view in which the carton occupies a folded but flat position with drinking glasses arranged in position for storage in large shipping cases or Wrapped for customer delivery.

Referring to the drawings, my improved carton or package comprises a single blank of a material such as paperboard or the like. The blank is die cut after the procedure followed in the manufacture of paperboard boxes or cartons generally, the die cutting producing in the blank duplicative sections, indicated in the drawings at A and B. At the time of die cutting, the blank is additionally subjected to partial cutting opera tions in which the same is scored or weakened along definite lines to form in each section of the blank panels, flaps or webs which constitute walls when the package or carton is placed into active operation.

"handle-forming and divider panels 4, each of the latter being formed centrally of its length with an elongated opening so disposed as to register with the similar opening in the adjacent panel when the carton or package is folded, as in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings, whereby to receive the fingers of the hand of one carrying or holding the carton, the panels 4 being disposed, when the carton is so set up, in flat side by side order and adhesively joined by box glue along their adjacent or meeting surfaces.

Beyond the outer score lines2 and 3 of the panels 4, the carton blank is formed with wareholding panels 6. Each of these holding panels is die out completely through the material of the panel along the spaced parallel lines, indicated at 8, and the continuing curved or arcuate lines disclosed at 9. Each of the holding panels beyond the scored lines 2 and 3 includes a gluewhich it is bent upon itself about the line I so that the surfaces of th webs 4 come into flat contact for adhesive union, the web panels being adhesively joined preferably over their full area.

In the packaging of the glassware at the factory, the carton or package is disposed as shown in Fig. 5. Thereafter, the package assumes the position of Fig. 6 in which the article-holding pockets, usually six in number, are arranged in a horizontal plane, so that the articles of glassware will be disposed in oppositely facing order, with the open edge portions of the glassware in contact with the divider panels 4. In this condition, the entrance of dirt and other foreign matter into the glasses is prevented, so that the same may be kept in a clean state while being transported and displayed. In the arrangement of the package as shown in Fig. 6, the same may be placed into shipreceiving strip area M, which, in turn, terminates in a plurality of arcuate spacer webs H, which collectively form a top wall, the latter being formed with the arcuate slits 9. The strip area 10 of each section A and B is joined with the top wall webs H by the scored or weakened lines l2.

' Along their opposite sides, the Webs II are joined vby score lines 13 with a plurality of rectangular front wall panels H! which, as shown in Fig. 5,

depend vertically from the outer edges of the horizontally positioned webs ll.

As viewed in Fig. 5, the lower edges of the front wall panels l4 are scored or weakened as at [5 for folding connection with a base or bottom wall panel l6 provided in each of the sections A and 7B. This bottom panel, when the carton or Fig. 5, is disposed in a substanpackage is set up as in tially horizontal plane and has its inner edges scored or weakened as at I! for flexible joinder with a vertically extending back wall panel [8 formed with each section.

At their outer edge portions, the back wall panels l8 flatly engage the rear surfaces of the strip areas Ill of said article-holding panels and are glued thereto as best indicated at I in Fig. 4.

The openings formed by the arcuate edges 9 permit articles of glassware, such as the drinking 3 glasses indicated at [9, to be inserted into and securely positioned in pockets formed by the panel walls H, l4, l6 and I8. The glasses may be readily inserted into these pockets by manual operations and when so inserted are spaced from each other effectively, avoiding direct contact and reducing breakage. The pockets 2!] are reinforced by the provision of the cut-out flaps 2|,

which are formed by the cutting of the slits indicated at 8 and 9. These cut out flaps are transversely scored or weakened along the lines 22 so that they will fold in unison with the panels l6 and I8 along their score lines H. The cut-out .fiaps are arranged in each of the pockets 20 and extend parallel and immediately adjacent to the back wall panels l8 and the bottom wall panel I6. The cut-out flaps thus reinforce the pockets 20 and provide extra thicknesses of paperboard material in said pockets to cushion glass articles disposed in said pockets against damaging jars or shocks.

In the manufacture of th box, after the die cutting of the blank and the scoring and weakening thereof, so that the blank assumes the shape and condition shown in Fig. 1, the sections A and B are then folded and glued so that the panels I6 and [8 of each section will be disposed below the regions indicated at Ill, II and M of said sections. The next step, as indicated in Fig. 4, is ;to pass the blank through a folding machin in.

ants to touch or remove the same.

ping containers and transported from factory to warehouses or stores. In the stores, the cartons or packages are removed from the containers and folded to assume the position disclosed in Fig. 5, where display of the articles of glassware takes place more effectively.

It will be noted that in all these operations, it is unnecessary, to remov the articles of glassware, but that the same retain their seated positions in the pockets. After a customer makes a selection, the carton may again be folded to the flat position of Fig. 6 and wrapped for customer removal or other delivery. The carton is simple in construction, of exceptionally .low cost and enables the articles depositedtherein at all-times to be handled as a group without requiring attend- This feature minimizes breakage and provides a carton highly acceptable for use as a combined packaging and carrying means. While the invention has been described as being particularly useful for the re- .ception of drinking glasses, it will be understood tions each embodying a handle-forming panel, a strip-forming panel and top, front, bottom and back wall-forming panels eachjoined along fold lines, the handle-forming panels of said sections being joined along the center line of said blank and being provided with registering finger-receiving openings; the top and front wall-forming panels of each of said sections being cut to provide a plurality of distinct article-receiving pockets bounded on two-sides thereof by integral reenforcing flaps extending from the strip-forming panel to the bottom wall-forming panel, the back wall-forming panel of each section being adhesively united with the strip-forming panel of said section to permit said container to be folded between fiat and erected positions, the top, front, bottom and back wall-forming panels of each section, when said container is erected, forming a rectangular boxing on either side of and between said handle-forming panels, said strip-forming panels serving to assume an upright position spacing articles disposed in said boxings when said articles ar horizontally arranged in display positions.

'2. A foldable container for receiving, display- .ing'and carrying articles of glassware, comprising: a single blank of paperboard formed on opposite sides of the center thereof with duplica- 5 tive panel-providing sections, each of said sections being foldable along definitely spaced transversely extending parallel lines to define in successive order from the center of the blank outwardly thereof a slotted handle panel, a uniting strip panel, and boxing-forming top, front, bottom and back panels, the top, front, bottom and back panels of each section forming when the container is folded for the reception of articles a substantially rectangular boxing, said back and strip panels when the container is arranged in an article-displaying position being disposed in a common horizontal plane for placement on a flat base surface with said articles arranged in rows and in horizontal positions in said boxings, said articles when so disposed having the adjoining portions of each row separated and protected by contact with the upwardly and vertically disposed adjacent portions of said handle panels, said strip panels being foldably joined with said handle panels to depend vertically therefrom along with said back panels when the handle panels are gripped to carry said container and articles supported therein, said 6 boxings while the container is being carried projecting laterally from each side of the container to support said articles in relatively spaced vertical rows; and means for securing said back panels to said strip panels in overlapping order in relation thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 771,798 Johnson Oct. 4, 1904 2,177,034 Fleming Oct. 24, 1939 2,315,999 Holm Apr. 6, 1943 2,339,176 Lee Jan. 11, 1944 2,368,753 Elliott Feb. 6, 1945 2,371,312 Potter Mar. 13, 1945 2,421,850 Ringler June 10, 1947 2,540,066 Williamson Jan. 30, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date France Apr. 15, 1930 

